Portable hair drying apparatus



July 25, 1950 L. FLETCHER PORTABLE HAIR DRYING APPARATUS Filed May 24, 1948 Fig-3 tightly against the forward edges of the two supplementary closure members, and the entire closure assembly may thus be locked in open position. When the closure members are arranged in open position, they constitute an air-flowdirecting hood into which heated air is discharged through opening l8. As best seen in Figs. 2 and 4, the resulting hood is open at the bottom and will accommodate the head of the person whose hair is to be dried.

Whe the device is to be used, the closure member comprising the sections I2 and I9 is raised and members 8 and 32 are swung out to their extended positions. Clasps l3 are engaged with their cooperating catches to hold the hood in assembled position. Cable 29 is connected to a suitable source of current, as by being plugged into the usual wall outlet, and switch 3i is actuated to complete the circuit of the motor and heating element 21. The person whose hair is to be dried is seated in a chair so positioned relative to the drier that his or her head can comfortably be held partially within the air-flow-directing hood defined by closure member sections l2 and I9, and members 8 and 32.

After use, members 8 and 32 are folded inwardly to closed position across opening I8 and the closure member comprising sections I2 and I9 is lowered to the position shown in Fig. 5, over the members 8 and 32. The hinges for supplementary closure members 8 and 32 are indented slightly behind the forward surface of casing I, as indicated in Fig. 1, in order that closure member section l2 may lie flush against the casing when the device is to be stored. Clasps IS on flap [9 are engaged with cooperating catches M on the side walls of the casing I to maintain the closure in closed position.

Though supplementary closure members 8 and 32 may obviously be of various shapes, it is preferred that they be of the simple trapezoidal shape shown, havin an outwardly and upwardly inclined lower edge, in order that the hood shall not cover the face of the person using the device. The members are hinged to the casing along the longer of the two parallel sides of the trapezoid.

It is desirable that a swirling action be imparted to the stream of heated air as it passes through the drying hood, in order to obtain a more efficient drying action. This is preferably accomplished by providing inturned flaps I6 and I1 hinged along the lower inclined edges of members 8 and 32 respectively. As shown in Fig. 3, flaps I6 and I! are held in their inturned positions substantially at right angles to members 8 and 32 by an inwardly directed flange or ledge 24 on depending portion I9, when the hood is in open or extended position as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, but are adapted to be flattened out into positions in the same planes with members 8 and 32 respectively, when these latter members are swung to closed or collapsed positions in overlapping relation across opening IB, as indicated in broken lines in Figs. 1 and 4.

As previously stated, the device may be supported from a wall bracket if desired, and any suitable fitting for this purpose may be attached to the back of casing I, as by sheet metal screws engaging holes 34, Fig. 6.

My device is especially adapted for use in the home and dispenses with the necessity of women being called upon to visit beauty parlors which calls for a waste of time and extraordinary expense, as well as permitting the women to do their own hair and putting in their own permanent wave.

The device is light, portable, simple of operation and a great convenience to the feminine sex.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a hair drier, a casing having a lateral opening and an air inlet, means mounted within said casing for forcing heated air outwardly through said opening, and a plurality of planar members hinged to said casing at an angle to each other and movable to either open position, in which they extend at right angles to each other, or collapsed position in which they lie in parallel, overlapping relation over said opening, said members when in open position forming an air-flow-directing hood.

2. In a hair drier, a casing having a lateral opening and an air inlet, means mounted within said casin for forcing heated air outwardly through said opening, a closure member hinged to said casing above said opening and arranged for swinging movement about a horizontal axis from a lowered position across said opening to a raised position substantially at right angles to the plane of said opening and foldable means carried by said casing at each side of said opening and cooperating with said closure member, when said closure member is raised, to form an air-flow-directing hood.

3. A portable hair drier including a rectangular casing open at one side, a planar member pivoted to the casing on an axis adjacent and parallel with the upper edge of said side to swing from a lowered position in which it lies flat against said side to a raised position in which it extends outwardly from said casing, supplementary members movable relative to the casing and disposed at the sides of said planar member, said supplementary members serving to support said planar member in raised position, and said members together forming an air-flow-directing hood, and means within said casing for forcing a stream of air outwardly into said hood.

4. In a hair drier, a casing having a lateral opening and an air inlet, means mounted within said casing for forcing heated air outwardly through said opening, a closure member for said opening, hinged to said casing on a horizontal axis above said opening and capable of swinging to open position, and supplementary closure members at the sides of said opening movable from a retracted position to an extended position in which they support said first named closure member in its said open position, said closure members together forming an air-flowdirecting hood.

5. In a hair drier, a casing having a lateral opening and an air inlet; means mounted within said casing for forcing heated air outwardly through said opening; a closure member hinged to said casin on a horizontal axis above said opening and arranged for movement from a lowered position across said opening to a raised position substantially at right angles to the plane of said opening, said closure member comprising main and auxiliary portions, said auxiliary portion being hinged to the main portion along a line parallel to and removed from the hinge connecting said closure member to said casing, whereby said auxiliary portion depends from the main portion when the closure member is in its raised position, and a pair of supplementary closure members hinged to said casing about vertical axes at opposite sides of said opening, said supplementary closure members lying inside .of

said first mentioned closure member when all of said closure members are in closed position, and said closure members when in open position together formin an air-flow-directing hood.

6. In a hair drier, a casing having a lateral opening and an air inlet; means mounted within said casing for forcing heated air outwardly through said opening; a closure member hinged to said casing above said opening and arranged for movement from a lowered position across said opening to a raised position substantially at right angles to the plane of said opening, said closure member comprising main and auxiliary portions, said auxiliary portion being hinged along a line parallel to and removed from the hinge connecting said closure member to said casing, whereby said auxiliary portion depends from the main portion when the closure member is in its raised position; a pair of supplementary closure members hinged to said casing about vertical axes at Opposite sides of said opening, said supplementary closure members lying inside of said first mentioned closure member when all of said closure members are closed and being adapted to support said first closure member in raised position when open; fiaps hinged to the lower edges of said supplementary closure members, and means carried by the dependent portion of said first mentioned closure member for supporting said flaps in inwardly turned position when said closure members are in open position, said closure members and said fiaps together forming an air fiow directing hood when said closure members are open and said flaps inwardly turned.

7. In a hair drier, a casing having a lateral opening and an air inlet; means mounted within said casing for forcing heated air outwardly through said opening; a closure member for said opening, said closure member being hinged to said casing above said openin and adapted for swinging movement from a lowered position across said opening to a raised position; supplementary closure members movable from a retracted position to an extended position to support said first closure member, said closure members together forming an air-flow-directing hood when said first mentioned closure member is raised and supported by said supplementary closure members; fastening means carried by said first mentioned closure member; cooperating fastening means carried by said supplementary closure members, whereby said closure members can be secured in open position, and additional fastening means carried by said casing and arranged to cooperate with said fastening means carried by said first mentioned closure member to secure the latter in closed position.

8. In a hair drier, a casing having a lateral opening and an air inlet; means mounted within said casing for forcing heated air outwardly through said opening; a closure member hinged to said casing above said opening and arranged for swinging movement from a lowered position across said opening to a raised position substantially at right angles to the plane of said opening, said closure member comprising main and auxiliary portions, said auxiliary portion being hinged along a line parallel to and removed from the hinge connecting said closure member to said casing, whereby said auxiliary portion depends from the main portion when the closure member is in its raised position; a pair of supplementary closure members hinged to said casing about vertical axes at opposite sides of said lateral opening, said supplementary closure members lyin inside of said first closure member when all of said closure members are closed and being adapted to support said first closure member in raised position when open; first fastening means carried by said depending portion of said first mentioned closure member; cooperating fastening means carried by said supplementary closure members, whereby said closure members may be secured in open position, and additional fastening means carried by said casing and arranged to cooperate with said first fastening means to secure said first mentioned closure member in closed position.

LOU FLETCHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 666,638 Beebe Jan. 29, 1901 1,869,012 Kunian et a1. July 26, 1932 1,997,994 Bishinger Apr. 16, 1935 2,074,270 Perkins Mar. 16, 1937 2,267,158 Locke Dec. 23, 1941 2,419,226 Palmer Apr. 22, 1947 2,424,502 Polite July 22, 1947 2,488,227 Nelson Nov. 15, 1949 

